'Wasteland 2' delayed, December date for beta

Brian Fargo missed the ship date for his next video game. He also missed the date to release a version for fans to test. He thinks it will be worth the wait, and his investors seem to agree.

Fargo, who helped start Orange County's video game industry in the 1980s, was frustrated by demanding publishers who wouldn't support his ideas for new games. So he went directly to fans on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter with the ideas for his next two projects. He got 61,290 people in March 2012 and 74,405 people in April 2013 to fork over a total of $7.1 million, far exceeding his initial goals and expanding the scope of the projects.

Are backers grabbing pitchforks upon hearing that Fargo's Newport Beach company, inXile entertainment, missed its original October ship date for “Wasteland 2,” the first of those games? (He also told the Register he'd release a beta test that month, but now he says it'll be ready by mid-December.)

No. Instead of asking for refunds, backers on the project's Kickstarter page are clamoring for their promised copy of “Wasteland,” the original 1980s game. And they seem willing to wait for a polished version of Fargo's sequel.

But could Fargo run out of money if he takes too long?

"We are nowhere near going too long to cause a problem,” Fargo wrote in response to Register emails. “And depending on my continuing revenue streams, I could take quite a bit of time; Kickstarter is not my only source of income. It is critical that this game get completed correctly."

— Ian Hamilton

On the move

J.D. Shafer is the general manager at Hotel Irvine Jamboree Center, previously known as Hyatt Regency Irvine. The Irvine Co. operates the renamed hotel, which makes its debut next week. The company brought on Shafer, who assumes his role Sunday, to lead the location's rebranding and reinvestment initiatives. Shafer was previously general manager at Hilton Waterfront Resort.

Lou Rossetti is the new executive director at the Apartment Association of Orange County, a trade group based in Santa Ana. He replaces Valerie Teeter, who retired this month after 38 years with the association. Rossetti previously served as district director for Rep. John Campbell, R-Irvine. Rossetti worked under the name Lou Penrose, which he retained from his earlier radio broadcast career.

Michael W. Benford is working in the Newport Beach office of McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., a construction firm based in St. Louis, Mo. He's now the business development manager of commercial services for the firm's Southern California division. He was previously business development manager at Hunt Construction Group.

New ventures

Quiksilver Inc., a surfwear company based in Huntington Beach, is outsourcing the design, manufacturing and marketing of some of its products to LF USA, a subsidiary of Li & Fung Limited, which is headquartered in Hong Kong. The licensing agreement begins with the fall 2014 season of children's apparel bearing the Quiksilver and DC brands.

Knott's Berry Farm of Buena Park is revamping its Calico Mine Ride with new scenery, audio, lighting and more than 50 new animatronics. Garner Holt Productions, the company that revamped the Timber Mountain Log Ride this year, is handling the Calico refurbishment. The park's 5-acre Camp Snoopy area is also being redesigned with three new rides to replace three existing ones. Work is slated to start in January. Knott's spokeswoman Leidy Arevalo said the project will cost at least $2 million.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. acquired Marmac Field Services Inc., an engineering, design and construction management firm in Costa Mesa, for an undisclosed amount. Jacobs is an engineering, architecture and construction company based in Pasadena. The acquisition will help Jacobs grow its utility and gas pipeline engineering business.

Milestones

Proove Biosciences, a pain medicine laboratory in Irvine, and its CEO and co-founder Brian Meshkin, were among the recipients of the 2013 Bridging the Gap awards, given by the Greater Baltimore Committee, a Maryland business networking organization. Proove's Eastern office is in Fulton, Md. The award recognizes minority- and women-owned companies for their efforts to strengthen business development. Meshkin's father was born in Iran and emigrated from Pakistan to the United States.

Cars from Mazda, the Japanese automaker with North American operations in Irvine, won two of the nine categories in Road & Track magazine's first Best of Everything list. The Mazda 3 won the economy car category and the Mazda 6 was selected as winner in the family sedan category.

Overheard

"The cars that are on the bottom of the list tend to be electric vehicles." – Eric Ibara at Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book, talking to Forbes about the company's recently published Official Residual Value Guide, which forecasts the value of new cars five years after ownership